3.066 Linguine in Meatball Mash Sauce

3.066

11 (Sun) March 2012

Linguine in Meatball Mash Sauce

2.5

by me

at home

-Oksu, Seongdong, Seoul, Republic of Korea-

with W and DJ, BW + HJW + L

Until this evening, my cousin B had long-maintained a special place in my heart as the only baby, other than my own son, that I’d ever felt an immediate and intense emotional connection to.  That was 27 years ago, when I was 12 and she was 1.  But then she eventually grew up and got really big, to the point where I could no longer recall what had made me think of her so affectionately way back when.  (I had similar feelings for her younger sisters, but not as much). B got married and moved to San Diego and had a girl named L, who’s now 16 months old.  During that time, I’d only seen L in photos, which suggested a strong resemblance to her mother as a baby.  The photos didn’t prepare me in the least for the reaction that I would have upon seeing her in person.  Having arrived last week in Korea for a visit long overdue, B and hubby and baby dropped by for dinner tonight.  As soon as the door opened and I saw L, a surge of unbidden and unbridled joy overtook me completely, just like before with B.  In either case, I can’t explain why.  I don’t even know why I’m discussing this here.

SIDEBAR: Korean family relations are calculated by units of chon (촌):

      1. child to parent (1) = 1-chon (ilchon) (e.g., DJ –> W)
      2. child to parent (1) back down to other child (+1) = 2-chon (ichon) = sibling (e.g., DJ –> W –> upcoming brother)
      3. child to parent (1) to grandparent (+1) back down to other child of grandparent (+1) = 3-chon (samchon) = uncle/aunt (in fact, the Korean word for uncle is “samchon”) (e.g., DJ –> W –> MIL –> W’s brother)
      4. child to parent (1) to grandparent (+1) back down to other child of grandparent (+1) back down to child of uncle/aunt (+1) = 4-chon (sachon) = cousin (in fact, the Korean word for cousin is “sachon”) (e.g., DJ –> W –> MIL –> W’s brother –> W’s brother’s daughter)

For the sake of convenience, L would call me “samchon,” even though technically I’m her ochon (5-chon). 

L and DJ are yukchon (6-chon).

The farthest that I’ve personally been connected is palchon (8-chon), between DJ and my father’s cousin’s child’s child.

(See also FOODS)

(See also PLACES)

Leave a Reply